Upstate New Yorkers Can’t Agree – What Kind of Big Cat is This?

A man in Upstate New York posted a video of a rather large cat walking through his neighborhood and he asked people what type of animal they thought it was.  The results varied and were quite interesting, and speculation ran wild.

See the video of this big cat below- what do you think it is?

Mike in Wayne County (a few hours northwest of Albany between Rochester and Albany) posted his video on the Wildlife and Nature Lovers of Upstate New York  Facebook page.  The group was created for people to showcase their interest in wildlife and nature in Upstate New York through our photos, paintings, drawings, writings, recommendations, trail info, maps, links to articles and websites - and some of the photos and videos are incredible!

Some thought it was a bobcat, others a mountain lion, fisher cat, perhaps a lynx, while some even speculated it was just a ginormous house cat.

Are there Mountain Lions in New York?

According to the NYS DEC, there are many images of mountain lions circulating on the internet that the photographer claimed were taken in New York.  But, the DEC refutes any claims that actual Eastern cougars (mountain lions) exist in NY.

While many will argue, the DEC claims that mountain lions "do not have a native, self-sustaining population in New York State and have been absent from this state since the late 1800s."

However, the DEC will admit that there have been a few isolated sightings involving cougars that are not native to New York.

For information on identifying mountain lion tracks and more, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation Mountain Lion Signs webpage